Pieces Of Me

by Bedly Alcide

  Then, they were gone. It was at that point that I knew my memory split. My birthday, August 30th, was always the day before school started. I remembered my first day of Kindergarten almost perfectly.

  The next part of the story got even more so complicated for Carson to tell. Gloria sent him back to live with Harvey for a long time before he ever saw our mother again. He only got cryptic messages (I suppose it was a maternally hereditary thing) every so often that he had to assume were from Gloria. They were hidden messages that could only be revealed using the same Legend that I’d figured out in the letter Ashton had sent to me.

  Then, the letters stopped coming. For about four years, he heard nothing from our mom. He didn’t know if she had died, or what. Finally, he got one last letter. It was instructions for him to do something. By that point in time, Carson was eighteen-years-old, which would have been four years ago. It had told him to send me $600 a month and to ask Harvey to pay my bills. That was it. There was no explanation.

  Since then, Carson had gotten a job. He wasn’t about to complain about the directions. He knew what was at stake, and he knew it was important to get me that provision. He’d actually already had a job, working as a cashier at McDonald’s. He knew that wouldn’t be enough to get me the money I needed.

  He felt really bad asking Harvey to do a favor for someone he didn’t knew, but Carson knew that Harvey still loved Gloria. He would do anything for her, even if it meant paying the bills of her daughter, whose life he’d never been a part of.

  It turned out, Carson didn’t actually need a job. Harvey was fully willing to pay for all of my needs. To this day, from his house in Cobnutton, he was still giving Carson the money to send to me. That almost brought a tear to my eye. I’d never even met Harvey and only heard about him for the first time today. I didn’t mean to be sappy or emotional, but my mother was MIA, and my father was dead. He’d been shot by my wretch of an Algebra teacher. Why wasn’t she locked up somewhere?

  Now, we were sitting in my living room in silence. Carson had just finished his long and melancholy tale. I was still trying to fathom it . . . still trying to wrap my mind around my past. I actually had one now. Well, I supposed I’d always had one. I simply knew of it now. I didn’t know how to feel, exactly. On the one hand, my mother had left me. I didn’t know what Gabriele’s plan had been if he hadn’t died. Regardless, they’d both had my safety foremost in their minds. I couldn’t resent either of them for that.

  “So, that’s as far as it goes?” I asked. “That’s all there is?”

  Carson nodded his head, eyeing me carefully. He’d figured out already that I had a rather sensitive personality, and sudden movements might scare me away. I guess that was accurate. I didn’t like taking things too fast, but Carson was my half-brother. He was the only family I knew of that I had left.

  “You haven’t gotten in touch with me sooner . . . because of your last name, right? You didn’t want the Kurl to connect the pieces. So, why now?” I asked. It was Friday evening and we were both tiresome, but I wasn’t quite finished asking questions.

  “I expected as much,” he sighed, getting up from his spot on the couch. He began to pace. “Well, I knew you turned sixteen a while ago. I had this gut feeling like something wasn’t right here in Hazelwood. I feared that the Kurl was suspicious. You are basically a spitting image of Gloria, after all. I sent you that movie poster, that I designed on the web. There was no such movie as ‘Watch Out for the Kurl.’ I made that up to get you on your guard. I wasn’t quite assuaged, though.

  “I didn’t know how much impact the warning would have on you. I know Gloria told you to always be on your guard, but I wasn’t even sure if you would remember that. Then, I wasn’t sure the extent of the Kurl’s abilities. For all I knew, she could be screening your calls or checking your mail. Those crazy stalkers have all sorts of CIA secrets that could be used to spy on people. Hence, I coded the message, using the same Key that was used in the letters our mom sent to me. I only hoped that you would decode it in due time.”

  That only sort of made sense. I mean, I guess I understood him waiting to contact me until he thought I was old enough to handle it. I just really wished I could remember something - anything - that would trigger all of the memories of my early childhood. I’d always seen kids with their parents and I would automatically know that they were mother/daughter or father/son. Carson said I looked like my mom, but I would never really know, unless she was still out there somewhere. Even then, I would still have to find her, and that seemed so unlikely.

  “Okay,” I gave him a small smile, before standing up myself. “Well, I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through all that. I’m not sure who has it worse between the two of us. You’ve had to experience all the trauma, and I’ve been spared it, only to learn of it after eleven years of ignorance.”

  He laughed. “I know what you mean. It feels good to be back with another family member other than my dad. He’d really like to meet you, too.”

  “I’d like that. I really should thank him for all that he’s done for me,” I said. It would be nice to meet another part of my mom’s past, at least. Harvey sounded like a nice guy, even if things got messed up when they were in high school.

  “One more thing,” he said, briefly pacing again. “You just found out that your Algebra teacher of two years is your stalker and a potential murderer . . . doesn’t that bother you?”

  My eyes widened. That part of the story hadn’t quite sunk in yet, oddly enough. Really, it was probably the single most important part of the tragedy, but I’d been more concerned with learning all I could about my parents.

  “It should,” I said quietly. “And it does.”

  Then, I did something I’d been waiting to do since I’d learned of my relation to Carson. The longing had only increased as the tale went on, and I couldn’t control it anymore.

  “I just really need a hug right now; a hug from my brother,” I said a little bashfully. I would’ve thought that I would be more embarrassed about something like that, but I wasn’t. Maybe it was the fact that I really was beginning to realize the seriousness of my situation, but Carson was also my brother, and I needed him.

  He didn’t hesitate before pulling me into a familiar embrace. I knew this would be one of those moments that I would look back on forever and always remember how grateful I was to Carson right then. So many things were crashing down around me, and I didn’t know what kind of power I possessed to stop it from happening. I couldn’t just sit back and watch, but then again, I was only sixteen-years-old. It seemed like just yesterday I’d been teaching myself to ride a bicycle, and now I was going up against the monster who’d killed my father. The Kurl - yes, I was referring to her as that now, too - had supposedly loved Gabriele. I hadn’t loved many people in my life. I knew I loved Carson as my brother, and Ashton as my best friend, and I couldn’t imagine harming them in any way, physically, mentally, in a minor or major way. I would never be able to do it.

  I suppose that was the difference between good people and bad, wasn’t it? It was the ability to make wrong or right choices. The right side made the good choices and the bad side made the wrong ones. Was it as simple as that? I suspected not. There was always something deeper behind the bad guys motives. The Kurl was a perfect example of this. She’d loved my dad, and he rejected her for Gloria. I imagine that could trigger a lot of genuine emotions.

  “When do I get to meet this infamous Mr. Voss?” Carson asked after we’d finished our hug, referring to Ashton. I knew that my brother was kind of touchy about me having let someone in on all of my secrets. He was even more so suspicious when I told him that everything weird had begun happening after I’d first spoken to Ashton.

  “I guess we could meet him tomorrow morning. It’s too late now,” I explained. “Did you ever visit the park when you were a kid, here?”

  “No, I don’t think I ever did. I know our mom and Gabriele took you on walks there a lot. In fact, I think that’s
where you took your first steps, if I remember correctly,” he said, stretching and yawning. I had to agree with that display of tiredness. I didn’t know if I would even be able to make it up the stairs.

  “That’s interesting,” I said sincerely. “I think we should meet Ashton there tomorrow for lunch, maybe?

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said with a smile on his face. It almost made me laugh to remember how scared I’d been of him several hours before when he’d been yelling at me through the door about Girl Scout cookies.

  We parted ways, then. I went up to my bathroom so I could shower and wash away the toll that today had taken on me. I didn’t know what time it was, but I figured well past midnight. I’d probably never stayed up that late before, but there was a first for everything. What better way to spend it than with my brother, right?

  Just as I was snuggling under the covers, my door opened a crack. I nearly had a heart-attack, not used to having company. Then, a gentle voice drifted in from the hallway that immediately calmed my racing heart.

  “Goodnight, Dawn Parma.”

  Chapter 8: Risk

  Ashton finally picked up his phone the next day. It was eleven ‘o clock, and I wasn’t sure how late he slept in, so I’d waited until then to try his cell again. I was dying to know why he hadn’t been at school, but in all my excitement to ask him if he would meet me and a surprise guest for lunch, I’d forgotten to ask before the line went dead.

  I figured I would find out soon enough, anyway. I was driving Carson and I to the Hazelwood Community Park in Grandpa Plucky, and my nerves were on high alert. I could only hope that Ashton and my brother would get along as well as I did with both of them. They were the two most important people in my life, and I needed them to like each other.

  We arrived and made our way over to the very same picnic table that Ashton and I had ate lunch at only a few days ago. It was approximately 12:01, but for once, I was not the one panicking.

  “Are you sure we can trust this guy. He’s already late!” Carson exclaimed. “Isn’t he supposed to want to make a good impression on the older brother?”

  “It’s not like that,” I scolded playfully. “Ashton is a good guy, believe me. It’s not as if he got to know me because he’s in cahoots with the Kurl and he’s feeding all of my information to her. That would be ludicrous! Besides, I’m very perceptive. I can tell when someone’s playing me.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” he muttered quietly. Just then, the rumble and then purr of a familiar-sounding engine died and I knew it was almost time for the moment of truth. I didn’t doubt Ashton for a second; he held my utter confidence and I would trust him with my life . . . or I thought I would, at least.

  He walked up to us at a normal pace, doing his best to conceal his own suspicious. I imagine I would be curious, too if I were him. It took him the better of a week to get through to me, and even that was only under special circumstances. Now, he sees me with basically a complete stranger who seems to know more about me than I do.

  “Hi, Dawn,” he greeted when he reached Carson and I. “And who might you be?”

  “Hello, Ashton,” I responded in kind. “I was worried about you yesterday. Did you get my message?”

  “I’m Carson McKnight,” my brother said before I could answer. “I’m also known as Dawn’s brother, but you can just call me Carson.”

  “McKnight Cobnutton,” Ashton recalled. “You’re the one whose been sending Dawn the letters?”

  “Yes, it was him. I supposed you got my message, then?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I got it. Thanks for the heads up. I’m sorry I wasn’t there yesterday, and you had to go through all of that trauma by yourself, but I had an appointment,” he said.

  “What trauma?” Carson asked. I’d been too caught up in my past to remember to tell him about how somebody had plastered my drawing all over school.

  Ashton explained it to him politely, and I could tell that they were both unsure of each other. That was a bit unsettling; it had seemed like Ashton got along with just about everybody. He’d never struck me as the suspicious type before.

  We all took a seat around the picnic table. This was a little bit of a struggle for me, because I had to choose who to sit by. Carson was on one side, and Ashton on the other. I was standing at the head of the table where there was no bench. Therefore, I had to choose which guy to sit next to. I didn’t want to hurt either of their feelings, and I didn’t want them to think I liked one better than the other. I’d known Ashton longer, of course, but Carson was actually my flesh and blood - halfway.

  I figured since I had come with Carson and hadn’t seen Ashton for a day, I might as well sit by him. I needed to prove to my brother that I trusted him anyway. Then, it was my turn to speak. I had to let Ashton know everything else there was. I’d only told him everything I knew two days ago. That was, everything I’d known B.C. (Before Carson). Now, there was an entire knew truth to explain, and I owed it to him to let him in on it. Best friends didn’t keep secrets, right?

  I guess not since only seconds after we were all seated, everything came pouring out. I did my best to ignore the grunts and huffs and sighs of annoyance from Carson. He was clearly unhappy that I’d decided to tell Ashton everything. I guess trust issues just ran in the family. That was absolutely okay with me, though, because I never thought I’d even have any part of a family.

  It didn’t seem to take as long for me to explain everything to Ashton as it did for Carson to explain everything to me. I guess I probably shortened things a little bit, but I didn’t leave out any important details that I could think of.

  “Whoa, that’s . . .” Ashton let out a low whistle of amazement. I didn’t blame him. My reaction would have most likely been the same if the tale hadn’t been personally relevant to my life.

  “I know,” I told him. He looked uncomfortable a moment, like he wanted to say something reassuring to me, but was unsure of if that was okay while Carson was here. I suddenly felt bad for dumping all of this on him. I know they’re not his problems, but I guess he asked for it. “So, what are we going to do about Mrs. Kurl?”

  “We are not doing anything about it,” my brother hissed. “This is not your problem, ‘Ash.’ Dawn and I will figure out how to go about this on our own.”

  I aimed a kick at my dearest brother under the table. “Stop it, Carson. Ashton is part of this, whether you like it or not.”

  A disapproving glare and gracious smile were both sent in my direction. I just knew this would happen. They hate each other. The two most important people to me absolutely loathe one another! Why did everything keep going so horribly?

  “Since we are all in this together,” I began with a meaningful look in Carson’s direction. “You two are going to have to learn to get along. We need to figure out what to do about the Kurl. It’s not safe for her to be a teacher after everything she’s done. I mean, I suppose it’s a possibility that she’s changed, but I doubt it, seeing as how hateful she is to me and most of the other students at Hazelwood, too.”

  “I, for one, don’t have a problem with Carson, and I’m willing to put aside any misgivings I may have had about you and work this out,” declared Ashton. I thanked him and we both turned expectantly toward the third party.

  “It’s all a matter of trust, you know,” he heaved a sigh melodramatically. “And you might as well just make me die my hair rainbow for all the pride this will cost me, but I’m in.”

  The unsettling weight that had been bubbling under my skin ever since my brother and my best friend had first met, finally lifted. Maybe things would work out after all. Maybe, we would bring the Kurl to justice and Ashton and Carson would end up being the best of friends, and I would live happily ever after.

  Yeah, and pigs really did fly. What was I thinking? We hadn’t even come up with a plan yet to make things right. I didn’t know if they ever would be. Two sixteen-year-olds and a twenty-two-year-old facing an experienced, middle-aged stalker who knew how
to cut the break lines of a car. What could possibly go wrong . . ?

  Two voices speaking simultaneously pulled me out of my depressing reverie. “I think I have an idea.” I looked on in surprise at Ashton and Carson who’d spoken together. I could only hope that this wouldn’t instigate an argument between them or worse; the death of three unfortunate victims.

  ****

  It had finally gotten dark come 6:00. The beginning of plan G.T.K. (Get The Kurl) could now be initiated. The three of us were all dressed in dark clothing. That part wasn’t too difficult for me. Ashton had told his parents he was hanging out with me and would be home sometime after dinner. Carson had taken the liberty of phoning the Kurl’s house and telling her she was needed immediately at the school. We were currently creeping through the bushes on the outskirts of school property, awaiting the arrival of the red mini-van.